Philip Kaufman

About the Author, Further Reading, Production Notes, Back Cover

Annette Insdorf is a professor of film studies at Columbia University, where she also directs the undergraduate film studies program. Her many works include Francois Truffaut and Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust. Books in the series Contemporary Film Directors Nelson Pereira dos Santos Darlene J. Sadlier Abbas Kiarostami Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa and Jonathan Rosenbaum Joel and Ethan Coen R. Barton Palmer Claire Denis Judith Mayne Wong Kar-wai Peter Brunette Edward Yang John Anderson Pedro Almodóvar Marvin D’Lugo Chris Marker Nora Alter Abel Ferrara Nicole Brenez, translated by Adrian Martin Jane Campion Kathleen McHugh Jim Jarmusch Juan Suárez Roman Polanski James Morrison Manoel de Oliveira John Randal Johnson Neil Jordan Maria Pramaggiore Paul Schrader George Kouvaros Jean-Pierre Jeunet Elizabeth Ezra Terrence Malick Lloyd Michaels Sally Potter Catherine Fowler Atom Egoyan Emma Wilson Albert Maysles Joe McElhaney Jerry Lewis Chris Fujiwara Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Joseph Mai Michael Haneke Peter Brunette Alejandro González Iñárritu Celestino Deleyto and Maria del Mar Azcona Lars von Trier Linda Badley Hal Hartley Mark L. Berrettini François Ozon Thibaut Schilt Steven Soderbergh Aaron Baker Mike Leigh Sean O’Sullivan D.A. Pennebaker Keith Beattie Jacques Rivette Mary M. Wiles Kim Ki-duk Hye Seung Chung Philip Kaufman Annette Insdorf The University of Illinois Press is a founding member of the Association of American University Presses. Designed by Paula Newcomb Composed in 10/13 New Caledonia LT Std with Helvetica Neue LT Std display by Barbara Evans at the University of Illinois Press Manufactured by Thomson-Shore, Inc. University of Illinois Press 1325 South Oak Street Champaign, IL 61820-6903 www.press.uillinois.edu FILM STUDIES Philip Kaufman Annette Insdorf “Annette Insdorf’s incisive and sympathetic book grants Kaufman the place in the pantheon he deserves.” —Roger Ebert “It could take only a great scholar of film to understand and appreciate the work of one of our great quintessential American filmmakers, and Annette Insdorf, in her masterly and captivating study of Philip Kaufman, does just that. This book is insightful, perceptive, and confident, and like Kaufman’s films, it repays the reader’s attention generously and with great compassion and humanity .” —Ken Burns American director Philip Kaufman is hard to pin down: a visual stylist who is truly literate, a San Franciscan who often makes European films, he is an accessible storyteller with a sophisticated touch. Celebrated for his vigorous, sexy, and reflective cinema, Kaufman is best known for his masterpiece The Unbearable Lightness of Being and the astronaut saga The Right Stuff. In this study, Annette Insdorf argues that the stylistic and philosophical richness of Kaufman’s cinema makes him a versatile auteur. She demonstrates Kaufman’s skill at adaptation, how he finds the precise cinematic device for a story drawn from seemingly unadaptable sources, and how his eye translates the authorial voice from books that serve as inspiration for his films. Closely analyzing his movies to date (including Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Wanderers, and Quills), Insdorf links them by exploring the recurring and resonant themes of sensuality, artistic creation, codes of honor, and freedom from manipulation. While there is no overarching label or bold signature that can be applied to his oeuvre, she illustrates the consistency of themes, techniques, images, and concerns that permeates all of Kaufman’s works. Annette Insdorf is the Insdorf director of undergraduate film studies at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Her books include Francois Truffaut; Double Lives, Second Chances: The Cinema of Krzysztof Kieslowski; and Kieslowski; Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust. A volume in the series Contemporary Film Directors, edited by James Naremore Cover photo: Teresa (Juliette Binoche) photographs Sabina (Lena Olin) behind a curtain in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Cover design: Paula Newcomb University of Illinois Press Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield www.press.uillinois.edu 9 7 8 0 2 5 2 0 7 8 4 6 0 9 0 0 0 0 ISBN 978 0-252-07846-0 ...